Every year, there are always a few players across the country who make a statement by receiving an offer before they’ve played a single down of high school football. This year, Jamal Burnell is one of those players after Virginia Tech recently extended him his first offer.

“I was shocked. I thought they were going to wait until I played my first high school game, but they kept in contact with me. I visited down there when I was young but a month ago, I went to the camp and I talked to the head coach Justin Fuente and running back coach Zohn Burden,” Burnell told us about his reaction to VT offering him.

How does this offer impact Burnell?

“It has a huge impact. I take it as motivation that I got a lot of work to put in still,” Burnell told us.

Burnell took part in a Hokies’ camp on the second weekend of June and was the only rising ninth grader participating in that camp, something that likely isn’t a surprise to most. During that camp, Burnell told us that he primarily worked at running back and clearly, the Hokies were impressed with what they saw.

Burnell did tell us that the Hokies offered him as an athlete though he definitely appears to at least have a bright future at RB based on what VT saw in mid-June.

Looking ahead, Burnell told us that he has plans to take part in a camp at Penn State in July while also hoping to visit Tennessee and make a return trip to Blacksburg in the near future.

Jamal Burnell may not have played a single down of high school football yet, but the rising high school freshman has made it clear that he will be a name to remember in the 757 over the next four years.

Photo Credit: Jamal Burnell

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